Simple Stories You are Here - Life is Wonderful by Fiona Johnstone

Hello everyone
This month I am playing with some of the gorgeous new Simple Stories collections. Love them all and couldn't decide which to get so bought them all!
First up I am sharing a layout using the travel themed You are Here collection. Very tropical but certainly not limited to travel photos! In my layout Life is Wonderful I have used an everyday photo of my son, but as the light was reflecting so nicely on his face I thought the tropical themed paper would suit the photo perfectly. 

I adored the wood grain background paper, however the bottom of the page has lots of travel stamps and tags along it, so I have cut off that section and turned the paper upside down .I have then used the floral paper on the reverse side and run that along the top of my page, before adding a some torn chevron pattern and a strip of contrasting orange. 
Next I have layered up some papers behind my 5x7 photo and used a variety of embellishments from the You are Here collection and my favourite coloured yellow flowers, love how tropical these look and they have a hessian texture so not too soft & girly.   

My title Life is Wonderful is from 2Crafty, inked in blue to match the papers and I have added some orange mini market stickers to compliment the blue. 

Thanks for stopping by

till next week

Fiona

x

Simple Stories You are Here paper - Itinerary Simple Stories You are Here paper - Happy Place Simple Stories You are Here paper - Here We Go Simple Stories You are Here paper - Boarding Pass Simple Stories You are Here paper - Paradise Simple Stories You are Here Wood Veneer Shapes Simple Stories You are Here Self Adhesive Brads Simple Stories You are Here Enamel Dots 2Crafty Chipboard title - Life is Wonderful October Afternoon Mini Market Stickers - Orange and Cream Petaloo Burlap Flowers Green Tara Skeleton leaves

Basic Grey - Hello U by Rachel Lowe:

Hello everyone Rachel here again.

Well February was all about little boys so today I have gone grown up and cool boys!

 I love this photo of my three boys, I think it captured their relationship perfectly.

I just love Typeset collection by Basic Grey. It has a vintage feel with a modern twist.

I went for a colour combination that is more masculine.

Firstly I splashed black colour shine spray on the woodgrain Kraft and then sprayed and

 splashed the Goosebumps textured shimmer spray. I like the messy effect which adds to

 the mood of the layout.

I cut down the wood grain kraft to 11x11 inches and centred it on the photo shoot paper. 

I really wanted the black camera paper to be visible.

I sewed around the edges of the kraft to add more texture. As you will see I went around

 twice to create a messy look.

  I have used a 6x4 inch landscape photo. I have not matted my photo as I have  used the chipboard to 'frame' my photo. Do not be afraid to create a bold title that dominates your layout as it provides  visual impact. I added a flair to the lens of the camera to finish off. Here are some close up photos for you.  

  Although simple in design this layout remains visually eye catching without  detracting from the photo. Thank you for stopping by and next week I am going totally shabby/vintage  using Basic Grey again!   Hoping you all get some scrap time this week. X   Basic Grey - Typeset photo shoot paper Basic Grey - Typeset Chipboard AC Textured Cardstock dark kraft woodgrain Basic Grey - Typeset Flair Heidi Swapp Color Shine spritz black Goosebumps Textured Spray - Shimmer

Celebrate You by Tammy Klinger

So it's Friday already??? Where did the week go?   I did find time in the craziness of life to create this layout. It's all about my son and his graduation from Primary School.   For this layout I used a 'bit' of this, and a 'bit' of that.  Specifically, from Fancy Pants Happy Place, and Cocoa Vanilla Made of Awesome (some of  you may remember I created a graduation book for my son earlier this year with this range) -  I grabbed the leftovers.  The link to the book is HERE for those of you who missed it.  

  I started with a piece of kraft cardstock.  The colour matches my son's pants.  The cardstock piece  I chose has a gorgeous wood grain pattern embossed into it.  To enhance  this I swiped a few spots with gesso, and then added some spritz.  This really 'showed off'  the wood grain.  I then added some spritz, and a few layers and strips of leftover papers. I always enjoy adding the embellishments, and finding the 'right' pieces.  I admit, I probably  spend too long on this part, but it's so much fun!  I love rummaging through stickers, flairs, chipboard, words, etc.  I'm like a kid in a candy store! I added some 2Crafty Chipboard Stars, as they suited the theme perfectly, and finished off the layout. I played around painting them a few different colours, before deciding on  embossing them in a metallic finish.  

   I needed an older male birthday card this week, so whipped one up with what was sitting on my desk after creating this layout........  

  I added a patterned base to the card, and then added a few strips of leftovers.  I tore a few  edges, to prevent it from looking to 'square' and 'blocky'.  I then added a 2Crafty Chipboard  Star, which I had embossed with a metallic finish, and a few random stickers, some thread  and of course a few mandatory flicks of spritz! I kept the cluster to the bottom right corner, as the paper I had used was drawing the eye to  that focal point.  If I had put the cluster anywhere else, it would have been too  overwhelming and confusing to the eye.    I love how all the boy colours work so well together.   Well that's it for now, I'll see you next week! Have a great weekend!! Love Tam     Products used: American Crafts Textured Cardstock - Kraft Woodgrain Raven Bazzill Cocoa Vanilla Made of Awesome Ephemera Cocoa Vanilla Made of Awesome Flairs Cocoa Vanilla Made of Awesome Paper - Awesome Cocoa Vanilla Made of Awesome Paper - Lucky Star Cocoa Vanilla Made of Awesome Paper - Mixed Up Cocoa Vanilla Hello Lovely Paper - Life Story Fancy Pants Happy Place 6x6 Paper Pad Fancy Pants Happy Place Puffy Stickers Script Words Pink Paislee Memorandum Paper - Labels American Crafts Shimelle True Stories Paper - Espresso Heidi Swapp Color Shine - Navy Dylusions Ink Spray - Postbox Red  2Crafty Stars Bella Boulevard Just Add Color Treasure and Text Stickers Gesso Thread Aged Silver Metallic Emboss Powder  

Fancy Pants Happy Place - Together by Fiona Johnstone

Hello everyone
A new month already! This week I am sharing my layout from my class at All About Scrapbooks monthly crop day. If you are in Sydney be sure to check out the days they are held and come along for 12 hours of scrapping. All the info is here.
On to my layout:
Together

So many colours in this range and they mix and match easily and are perfect for those busy coloured group photos! This photo is of my two and their cousins - with everyone living in 3 different states in can be difficult to get everyone together. 
Loved all the words on this background paper and wanting them to still show through I just added some sprays of dylusions ink - love the depth of colour these sprays give, while still being sheer enough to see the background. 
I've layered up quite a few pieces of the patterned paper to create a nice mix of colours, and I have roughed up the edges of the paper - love how nice, thick and textured the FP papers always are. 
I've added some colour matched flowers and added some black skeleton leaves, which stand out against the ink. I've finished with a black title and added a black tag to tie the colours all together. 
Thanks for stopping by Fiona x

Fancy Pants Happy Place paper - My Happy Fancy Pants Happy Place paper - Life is Good Fancy Pants Happy Place paper - Origami Club Fancy Pants Happy Place paper - Here & Now Fancy Pants Happy Place paper - Hello   2Crafty Chipboard - Together Green Tara Apple Blossoms - Red Green Tara Gardenia - Turquoise Green Tara Skeleton Leaves - Black Dylusions Ink - Vibrant Turquoise Dylusions Ink - Lemon Zest

Echo Park - Little Man: Awesome You by Rachel Lowe

Happy Monday everyone!

This is one of my favourite photos of my boys and hubby (probably because they are all actually looking at the camera!) and I love how it stands out against the red and blues in this collection.
I have managed to achieve a totally different look with the same collection by keeping it to
 minimal coordinating colours.

Again I have used the journalling cards as a feature and to help in telling the story/message.

I have added some 2Crafty Chipboard to add texture to the layout. I firstly inked them in
 turquoise and then added dimensional magic so they really stood out.

I added some alpha stickers to the bottom journalling card to create my title 'Awesome You!'

I have foam taped elements such as the plane with banner to create a 3D effect and finished 

with some sewing.

Here are some close up photos.

I love the red, white and turquoise colour combination and I think it creates visual impact.

Thanks for stopping by and see you next week where I will be show casing Basic Grey.

X

Echo Park - Little Man Alpha Stickers

Echo Park - Little Man Element Stickers

Echo Park - Little Man 4x6 Journaling Cards Paper

Echo Park - Little Man Border Strips Paper

Echo Park - Little Man Ephemera

2Crafty Chipboard - Doodled Arrows

2Crafty Chipboard - Harlequin chipboard

Love you More by Tammy Klingner

Hi Everyone My turn to share my latest inspiration with you!   This week I got to play with the gorgeous Happy Place by Fancy Pants.  What a gorgeous range!! Happy, fresh, with a colour palette that works for both boys and girls.  It has a bit of a funky edge to it, and has triangular and plus shapes, which are very 'on trend'  and also cool puffy stickers.  These are perfectly suited to the age of my kids (I have a 14 year  old girl, a 12 year old boy).  

  I had a play around with some watercolours again in the background again.  I just splattered  them on without thinking about it too much.   I then added a bit of background stamping, ensuring the lines of the stamp followed the  direction of the photo. I added a few layers of papers from the paper pad, some stickers and a flair.  

   

  I painted some 2 Crafty chipboard as my title.  This title was actually the starting point  for this layout.  As soon as I saw the words, it sparked a story - something my son and I say  all the time.  This is often how my layouts begin - with the story.  With what I want to say.  If I don't have  this, I often just sit and shuffle.  But if I know what I want to capture, what I want to remember,  the creative process just seems to 'happen'.    What story are you inspired to tell?   Have a great weekend. Love Tam   Products Used:  White Bazzill Prima Watercolor Pencils Dylusions Ink Spray - Postbox Red Kaisercraft Texture Stamp - Wood Panel 2 Crafty Chipboard Love You More Fancy Pants Happy Place 6x6 Paper Pad Fancy Pants Happy Place Ephemera Fancy Pants Happy Place Flairs Fancy Pants Happy Place Puffy Stickers Mixed Shapes Fancy Pants Happy Place Dictionary Stickers    

Cocoa Vanilla Fre Spirit - Peace by Fiona Johnstone

Hello everyone
This week I am back again with the delightful Cocoa Vanilla collection, Free Spirit. Just perfect for my own little free spirit in today's layout; Peace.

Once again I have used that denim paper from the Hello Sunshine collection as it goes so perfectly with this collection, and of course the dress! I've teamed it up with the softer patterns of the Free Spirit collection and used the gorgeous pastel background of the Dreamy paper. 
I've left the background plain as I just adore the bubble pattern! Instead I focused on the frame to add some softness to the page and tie my colours together. I wanted a soft pastel feel to the frame so applied some gesso, then once that was dry, I sprayed some Dylusions and Dsitress inks and dabbed them dry to get a soft colour. Once done, I added some sploshes of gold with my Gold Lame colour shine. 

I've kept my embellishing to a minimum too, a few choice flowers, some hearts and finished off with some enamel dots. I love how the frame really focuses the photo.

Thanks for stopping by Till next week
Fiona x
    Products Used:   Cocoa Vanilla Free Spirit paper - Dreamy Cocoa Vanilla Free Spirit paper - My Way Cocoa Vanilla Free Spirit paper - Wildflowers Cocoa Vanilla Hello Summer paper - Chill Out 2Crafty Chipboard - Frame Messy Squares Cocoa Vanilla Free Spirit Enamel Dots Cocoa Vanilla Hello Lovely Die Cut Ephemera Green Tara Fantasy Blooms in Rose Dylusions Ink Spray - Squeezed Orange Dylusions Ink Spray - Vibrant Turquoise Distress Stain Spray in Festive Berries Heidi Swapp Color Shine Spritz - Gold Lame Pink Paislee Atlas Thickers - Gold Foil  

Echo Park - Little Man: It's the little things layout and card set by Rachel Lowe

Happy Monday everyone. This week I have created a layout and card set using Echo Park, Little Man collection. There is just nothing cuter than little boys!!!! This is my youngest baby just being too cute with his adorable shy smile. I just love lime green and the frog is super cute. I used a white card stock so the contrast would have real impact and it coordinates perfectly with Ben's T shirt. The real star of this layout is the 2Crafty Chipboard star frame. I have inked it in Lime and instead of placing it over my photo I placed it behind the photo to give the appearance of stars cascading out of the photo.

The title is also from 2Crafty Chipboard and again I inked it in lime green. I used enamel dots around my title so your eye would be drawn to it.

I have tucked a writing journal block under my photo. I have stamped on it and later I will add some hand writing.

On viewing this collection I knew I had to make some cards. I made these keeping in mind my younger relatives. With the journalling card papers, element sticker sheet and alpha sicker sheet these came together easily. I used foam tape and enamel dots to add a 3D effect to the cards.

The colour combinations of this layout are just stunning and perfect for children's layouts and cards.

Thanks for taking the time to have a look. See you next week with my final share using this collection X 2Crafty Chipboard Star Frame 2Crafty Chipboard Individual Words - It's the Little Things Echo Park - Little Man Plaid Paper Echo Park - Little Man Blocks Paper Echo Park - Little Man Ephemera Echo Park - Little Man 3x4 Journaling Cards Echo Park - Little Man 4x6 Journaling Cards Echo Park - Little Man Alphabet stickers Echo Park - Little Man Frogs Paper Echo Park - Little Man Element Stickers Echo Park - Little Man Words Paper Cardstock - White 12x12

Summer by Tammy Klingner

Hi everyone   Well it's Friday which means it's my turn to share my latest creation.   This one was taken on a recent family holiday to the beach. We had a ball.....we got lucky  with the weather and were on the beach every single day. Bliss.   I snapped this selfie with my guy, and wanted to document how nice it was to spend a  whole week together, as a family. Without the pressures of work, distance, and all the other commitments, and frustrations.  Perfection!  

  As soon as I saw this background sheet of soft creamy woodgrain by Cocoa Vanilla, I knew  I HAD to use it.  It's just beautiful.      I added some spritz, and then tore and adhered lots of little strips of various papers.   I LOVE using leftovers, and this technique is a great way to used up little bits of papers  from  previous projects.  I try not to think too much at this stage, just stick them down  randomly, with some overlapping.    I then added some random stamping around the edges of the paper.  This helps bring  it all together.   I then adhered my photo with foam tape and added a few finishing touches  (2 Crafty chipboard arrows and title, journaling, word stickers, and some final flicks of black paint).  

  This technique is something I do often - different colour combos look totally different.  As I said it's a great way to use up scraps!    I kept my colour scheme to teal, black, cream and kraft, as they have a real beachy feel  to them - and they look pretty great together.   Why don't you give it a try?   See you next week. Love Tam xx   Products used: Cocoa Vanilla Hello Sunshine Paper - Full Bloom Dylusions Ink Spray - Polished Jade Kaisercraft Texture Stamp- Triangles Dylusions Paint - Black Marble 2 Crafty Chevron Bits 2 Crafty Line Words - Summer   Kraft Paper Cocoa Vanilla Hello Sunshine Paper - Happy Days Bella Boulevard Valentina Paper -Love Cocoa Vanilla Made of Awesome Paper - Rock Star Simple Stories Summer Vibes Paper - Teal Wood/Grid Cocoa Vanilla Hello Lovely Paper - Life Story Photo Play Like A Girl Paper - Share your Sparkle Simple Stories DIY Boutique Herringbone Paper Bella Boulevard Just Add Color Little Bits - Gulf Maggie Holmes Confetti Everyday Phrase Stickers  

Cocoa Vanilla Free Spirit - Good Times, Good Friends by Fiona Johnstone

Hello everyone
This week I am breaking things up with a softer colour palette and creating with the fabulous Cocoa Vanilla Free Spirit collection. This is a gorgeous collection with pinks and blues and some touches of gold. 
Today's layout: Good Friends, Good Times

For this layout I have added a patterned paper from the Cocoa Vanilla, Hello Sunshine collection. If you are not comfortable with mixing papers from different brands,  mixing from other collections from the same brand is a good place to start as they often have similar toned papers. 
I've kept my background clean on this layout as it already has a print but also because of the busy papers I have used and the variety of colours in my photo. 
The chipboard title and foliage I've inked and then sprayed with some gold color shine, taking inspiration from the floral pattern paper. 
To continue my mixing collections from the same brand, I've used ephemera and the flair button from Cocoa Vanilla's Hello Lovely collection. Then I've added s couple of assorted flowers to finish my layout. 
Thanks for visiting  Till next week 
Fiona  X
Products Used: Cocoa Vanilla Free Spirit patterned paper - Eclectic Cocoa Vanilla Free Spirit patterned paper - My Way Cocoa Vanilla Free Spirit patterned paper - Wildflowers Cocoa Vanilla Hello Sunshine patterned paper - Chill Out 2Crafty Chipboard Title - Good Friends, Good Times 2Crafty Chipboard Cocoa Vanilla Hello Lovely Flair Buttons  Cocoa Vanilla Hello Lovely Die-Cut Ephemera  Green Tara Gardenia Pale Pink 

Echo Park - Little Man: Superhero and Puppy Adventure layouts by Rachel Lowe

Hello everyone Rachel here again. I have two layouts this week for you using the super cute Little Man collection. I have wanted to scrap this photo of my boys when they first started footy but never quite  found the right papers to co ordinate with the colour of their jumpers, however as soon as I saw this collection I knew it would be perfect (sports photos are the hardest to scrap in  my opinion). The primary colours make it so versatile and without the need to covert your photos to  black and white. I chose kraft as my base of tone down the greens in the jumper (white would have contrasted  too much).  I have sewn on the layout and used staples to add texture. Sports photos can be challenging to scrap but I think this collection made scrapping this  photo even with green (unattractive) jumpers easy!

Here are some close up photos of this layout.

Here is the second layout, showing you the versatility of this collection.

I love this photo of my boy and our fur baby when he was a puppy. This is a photo that

should not be converted to black and white as it would lose it's visual impact, finally papers

 that will work with this photo (and yes the bright striped child's T shirt!!!).

When using a dark background paper you need to ensure your other papers and

 embellishments are bright and varied for contrast.

Here are some close up photos of this layout.

There is lots of layering of different papers in this layout.

I have foam taped my photo and the puppy sticker on the 3x4 inch journal block.

I did not alter the 2Crafty Adventure word but I used Dimensional Magic to make it stand out.

Thanks for stopping by and happy scrapping.

Echo Park - Little Man Cars Paper

Echo Park - Little Man Dinosaurs Paper

Echo Park - Little Man Dots Paper

Echo Park - Little Man 3x4 Journaling Cards Paper

Echo Park - Little Man Element Stickers

Echo Park - Little Man Ephemera

Echo Park - Little Man Plaid Paper

Echo Park - Little Man Blocks Paper

Echo Park - Little Man Words Paper

Kraft 12x12 Cardstock

2Crafty Chipboard - Adventure Loopy Font

Fri-Yay! By Tammy Klingner

Hi Everyone Well its FriYay, so it's my turn to share my latest creation.    This time I've played around with some watercolours and some Basic Grey B Side.  I love the effect of watercolours. And the best bit - it's so simple, and so forgiving.    I started with my photo.  It was a selphie taken of us and friends on a recent weekend away.   It was a bit of a challenge to fit all 10 of us in (no selfie stick)! and also a challenge to scrap,  as there were so many colours!! So I printed it in black and white.  I really wanted to capture  the fun, craziness of the moment so I went with a few bright colours and fun sayings, teamed  with black and white.  

  It's important to remember when using your watercolours to apply a coat of transparent/clear  gesso  to your cardstock first.  This creates a resist and allows your watercolour to sit 'on top'  of the page, rather than soak in.  It makes a HUGE difference!!   I used my Prima Watercolor Pencils by applying a lot of water onto a small paint brush and  then rubbing this onto the lead or 'color' of the pencil.  I then randomly applied this onto the  page by both painting it on in 'blobs' and by flicking it on.     Lots of water is required for both of these techniques!  It really is a wonderful technique - just  have fun with it, and go for it.  With this page, I felt like I had gone a bit crazy and added  too much watercolour, but once I added my papers and photos, I actually decided to add  a bit more.    Once my page was completely dry I added lots of frames and paper scraps and Basic Grey die cuts.   I also used a lot of word stickers.  I love that they help create that 'fun' element.  

  I finished it off with some 2Crafty Chipboard. Man I love those triangles!! I covered them in various scrap papers, and added in some hand drawn stitches and some  hand-drawn triangles.  

  This was so fun to create, and I love that it has captured a happy fun moment in time!!   Thanks for joining me this week. I'll see you next week! Luv Tam. xx   Products used: White Bazzill Basic Grey B Side Die Cuts Basic Grey B Side Paper - So Anyway 2 Crafty Triangle Set Bella Boulevard Just Add Color Little Bits Stickers - Bell Pepper Bella Boulevard Just Add Color Little Bits Stickers - Gulf My Minds Eye My Story Enamel Shapes Prima Watercolor Pencil Set - Spring & Fall Simple Stories DIY Newspaper Paper Simple Stories DIY Herringbone Paper Simple Stories DIY Frames Thread